HIPAA, enacted 20 years ago yesterday, has all but eliminated patient privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), enacted on August 21, 1996, enabled computerization of medical records without patient consent and state and national health information (“on the grid”) networks, established national health data and transaction standards and created federal identification and tracking numbers for doctors, hospitals, clinics, health plans, employers and patients.

The attached is a list of all health care practitioners, including physicians, that have opted out of the Medicare program, as found in the federal Medicare participation-status database on July 5, 2016. NOTE: Physicians and others that have refused to get a National Provider ID are not included on this list.

A bill signed into law earlier this week by Gov. Mark Dayton allows the health department to collect and store blood samples taken from newborn babies for an indefinite period of time, unless parents opt-out of the program.

As a starting point, let me reiterate that newborn screening is the “largest single application of genetic testing in medicine,” according to Dr. Jeffrey Botkin, MD, MPH, at the university of Utah’s Department of Pediatrics and Medical Ethics. Also, I’d like to draw to your attention the written testimony submitted by the Council for Responsible Genetics, and Minnesota ACLU which both oppose this bill. The Council notes that that language is in opposition to recommendations by national committees and research studies.

It's quite simple. Our purpose is to bring care, coverage, compassion and patient control to as many individuals as possible while enabling charity and charitability for those without health insurance coverage. Echoing former AAPS president Dr. Lee Hieb's three "C's," we add two more:

Undoubtably every mother would like help with her newborn infant, but how many mothers would be willing to submit her child and family to a comprehensive parenting, child health, and home environment evaluation by a government employee?

The public will have no say over federal control of health insurance and medical care if the Minnesota Healthcare Exchange legislation (SF1/HF5) passes in its present form. The Exchange Board will be exempt from all the requirements that protect the public from runaway rulemaking.

The public will have no say over federal control of health insurance and medical care if the Minnesota Healthcare Exchange legislation (SF1/HF5) passes in its present form. The Exchange Board will be exempt from all the requirements that protect the public from runaway rulemaking.

Many health insurance agents fear the loss of their livelihood once government health insurance Exchanges are created and people begin to shop online. But Exchanges will not be simple. Thus, Obamacare established a new entity called “navigators” to assist individuals and businesses in buying coverage from federally-qualified health plans on the exchange. Health insurance agents will be only one of many groups allowed to become navigators.

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Health Privacy Alert!

HIPAA DOES NOT PROTECT PRIVACY... AND YOU ARENOT REQUIRED TO SIGN HIPAA "PRIVACY" FORMS

By federal law, you are not required to sign the clinic or hospital HIPAA "Privacy" form (or the Acknowledgement of the Notice of Privacy Practices embedded in consent forms)...even if the clinic tries to insist that you must. The form has nothing to do with...